Disney Legend Andreas Deja Shares Updates on Personal Projects, Including Long-Awaited Book Celebrating One of the "Nine Old Men"
The book was first revealed almost a decade ago on his personal blog.
Andreas Deja, a Disney Legend and a master of the craft of hand-drawn animation in the modern era, has shared a bit of an update on some personal projects, including a long-gestating book featuring art from one of Disney’s earliest masters and influences.
What’s Happening:
- Disney Legend Andreas Deja was at San Diego Comic-Con over the weekend, where he also was the focus of a panel celebrating animation and his work on some classic Disney Villains - three in a row - Gaston, Jafar, and Scar.
- While there, he mentioned a few projects of his, including one that has been in the works for nearly a decade.
- This project, a book dedicated to the art of one of Walt Disney’s original Nine Old Men, Milt Kahl, dates back to 2016, when he made a post about the book on his personal blog, Deja View.
- At that time, he posted: “So I here declare that after I finish my film Mushka, one of my main projects will be to publish a coffee table sized book on the art of Milt Kahl. I still have a lot of artwork by Milt that didn't make it into my Nine Old Men book. That art needs to be out there to inspire!"
- Milt Kahl is widely regarded as one of the greatest animators in the history of the medium. Known for his masterful draftsmanship and character design, Kahl shaped the look and personality of iconic characters such as Shere Khan in The Jungle Book, Madame Medusa in The Rescuers, and Prince Phillip in Sleeping Beauty. His precise line work, expressive animation, and mentorship influenced generations of animators (including Deja, who is rumored to own Kahl’s desk), leaving a lasting legacy on not just Disney, but the broader world of animation.
- That same blog revealed in an update just a few weeks ago, “the oversized book on Milt Kahl is in the works. I got Disney's verbal approval, and I am determined to make this one of the best books on Disney Animation ever. As Milt said: "You got to have high standards".
- This news was reiterated at the SDCC panel, saying that he is still working on it, though no further info (like a release date) was revealed.
- At the panel, Deja also mentioned that he was working on a documentary about another of the original Nine Old Men, Woolie Reitherman.
- Woolie Reitherman, another of the Nine Old Men, is also known for directing many of the studio’s classic animated films from the 1960s to the 1980s, including The Jungle Book, The Aristocats, and Robin Hood. As both an animator and director, he helped guide Disney through its post-Walt era, ensuring the continuation of feature animation.
- While not much has been officially revealed (at the panel or on his Deja View blog), he did mention this project earlier this year on his site, noting after a post dedicated to a Woolie event at the Walt Disney Family Museum: “Newsflash: I am helping [Woolie’s son] Bruce Reitherman with a terrific project about Woolie. Details to come later."
- We do anticipate this to be a film, given Bruce Reitherman’s background directing, writing, and producing different documentaries, though it is not confirmed at this time.
- In a bit of trivia, Bruce Reitherman is also credited in the Special Thanks of Deja’s film, Mushka.
- Deja also dropped the big news during the event, his talent bringing villains to the animated world is also helping them come into the real world, as he is on the creative team bringing Villains Land to Walt Disney World. Find out more about that, here.
- For more news and info coming out of San Diego Comic-Con this weekend, be sure to check out our collection, here.
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